Many ask me, “Why focus your business growth on referrals?” My answer is simple: referrals are the fastest and most effective way to bring the right people on board while minimizing risk.

In the rush to hire quickly or cut costs, companies often bypass referrals in favor of cold applications or mass job boards. While casting a wide net might seem efficient, it actually exposes your business to significant risks. This approach can create dangerous blind spots that put your company’s most valuable assets — security, data and intellectual property — at risk.

Referrals are more than convenience — they’re a critical layer of security

Building and nurturing professional networks isn’t just good career advice; it’s essential for business security. When someone refers a candidate, they’re putting their own reputation on the line. This inherent accountability acts as a first line of defense. In contrast, applicants from job boards or open applications often come without shared connections or any built-in accountability. That increases risks ranging from candidates misrepresenting themselves to malicious insiders or even competitors planting infiltrators.

Related: 5 Surprising Benefits of Professional Networking That You Need to Know About

Insider threats are a real and costly danger

Studies show that insider threats account for over 34% of data breaches. These threats aren’t always malicious — many stem from negligent hires unfamiliar with security protocols. Cold hires are harder to vet thoroughly. Referrals, however, come with firsthand insights into a candidate’s professionalism and ethical standards. This added context can be the difference between a secure organization and one vulnerable to expensive intellectual property theft, data leaks or reputational damage.

How to maximize referrals in your hiring strategy:

1. Nurture your professional network: Build genuine relationships by engaging with others and understanding their experiences. Benefit: Trusted connections lead to higher-quality referrals with built-in credibility.

2. Set clear hiring goals: Define the culture and skills you want in your team to ensure referral candidates align well. Benefit: Referrals come with insights into character and fit, backed by trusted networks.

3. Maintain regular, thoughtful communication: Connect consistently — not just when you need something. Benefit: Active relationships keep your network engaged and ready to support mutual referrals.

4. Leverage online platforms that facilitate referrals: Use tools designed to streamline referral-based hiring and expand your reach. Benefit: Discover more qualified candidates through trusted, structured referral channels.

Related: How to Lower the Risks to Your Brand Reputation (and Build an Image that Wins New Business)

A smarter, safer hiring strategy

In today’s high-risk business environment, hiring through referrals is more than a cultural advantage — it’s a vital security strategy. Building your team through trusted networks adds accountability and trust that anonymous hires simply can’t provide. This approach protects your company’s brand, reputation and long-term growth.

If you want to grow securely, safeguard your intellectual property, and minimize avoidable risks, centering your hiring strategy on trusted referrals isn’t just smart — it’s necessary.

Ready to break through your revenue ceiling? Join us at Level Up, a conference for ambitious business leaders to unlock new growth opportunities.

It’s not what you know but who you know. Right? Networking is a very important aspect of a successful company and personal growth, but most people find it hard to introduce themselves to complete strangers at an event and end up having conversations that don’t allow meaningful connections to be made.  We all know that attending networking events can help you to generate leads and get new contacts, but the right sort of event will give you the chance to work the room and share ideas which make you stand out – for all of the right reasons.

 

The format of networking events in London can vary and the crowd can also be diverse depending on the cost, the venue and the attendees etc.

We have some top tips for getting the most out of any business/professional networking event so give them a try and let us know your thoughts. Don’t forget to keep eye on our homepage to see upcoming professional networking events in London.

1.      Choose the Right Networking Event – You should not attend every networking event unless there is a social side that the event offers. Always make time for a networking event that is ideal and beneficial to your type of business to make the most out of it. It is advisable to find out who typically attends the events so that the right type of people and businesses you wish to connect with will be represented in that event.

2.      Build Rapport – This involves finding a common ground to start from with any person you meet in the networking event. Greet people with a smile, keep an eye contact and give them positive compliments to set up a good atmosphere to start your conversation.

3.      Be Genuine – Give a simple introduction about yourself to allow the other person to know the person you are. Find a moment to forget about the products or services that you spend most of your time selling or the company you work for. Remember networking is about expanding your professional circle. No one wants a pile of business cards to take home when they can’t even remember one thing about the actual person they spoke to.

4.      Show Interest – Have few and direct questions at the back of your mind to ask the other party about their background; work and make sure they are open to questions to keep the conversation alive. Listen to the other person and refer to something they mentioned during the conversation because this is the best way to start a professional relationship.

5.      Start Professional Partnerships – During the conversation, be keen to identify opportunities. This means finding out if you can offer any help. Find out who you can share information, ideas and resources with and they will reciprocate.

Enjoy!

Shar Fuller

You’ve got a kick-ass career and you need to juggle your time so that you can find time to meet someone new. What is really holding you back? 

 

Rachel is a Marketing Executive and even though she doesn’t really have the time to miss being in a relationship, the lack of a local lockdown bubble made her admit that finding someone with similar values would be a bonus. Does any of this sound like you? 

Dating App Fatigue

If you feel like you don’t have time for dating that might be because you’re dating in the wrong way. If you’re someone who is constantly downloading, deleting, and redownloading your dating apps, let us help you identify the issue here. You’re suffering from dating fatigue and the fear of wasting time. We get it. Spending the time to find a ‘match’ organise a date, and actually go on the date can be overwhelming. Sometimes without realising you’re saying no to the right person, or you’re only one foot in. All of these issues can be fixed with a bit of focus and the right dating platform. Don’t forget, when you use all of the resources available to you in the right way you’ll not only save time, but increase your chances of finding someone for you.  

You’re Not the Only One

With a busy work life it is hard to prioritise something that can feel superfluous like dating. It can feel impossible to even consider dating or conversing with someone when you are spending so much time with your coworkers, clients and company. Someone like Rachel might work a fifty-five hour week and have other commitments at either end of that, but that doesn’t mean that the potential for love and happiness needs to be thrown to the wayside. What are you doing after work, or during your lunch break? Binging on Instagram, scrolling through TikTok or rewatching your favourite series on Netflix are fun stress releases but, we know, and you know, that they can’t replace human interaction. 

Looking in the Right Places: 

Okay, so maybe finding your other half has never been high on your list of priorities. Then enters the pandemic… One year in, it’s hard not to wonder what braving the pandemic with someone would have been like. Regardless, perhaps this situation has been the push you needed to prioritise a relationship. Let’s forget about the past and look to the future.  It’s easy to download a few dating apps and have a flick through, but it’s not easy to keep up the work that goes into maintaining these conversations, especially when there has been no end of lockdown in sight. Take a step back from the dating apps and start looking elsewhere. Why not sign-up for more professional networking events, industry led talks and webinars? Connecting with someone organically in an unlikely place can be great because you have something in common without the pressures of a traditional dating event. Remember, sometimes love creeps up on us in mysterious ways. Mingling and networking with more people in and out of your professional circles can not only lead to valuable friendships, but can also lead to relationships. Spending more time in these kinds of spaces allows you to learn more about your industry and more about yourself. Maybe you realise that it would be hard to extricate yourself and date someone outside of your profession. These are all things that you can find out by putting yourself out there more and widening your professional circle, even in lockdown. 

Prioritise Your Love Life

Once you come to terms with where dating sits on your list of priorities here are the top tips.

1. Considering moving things around in your diary to facilitate new events.
2. Set restrictions when it comes to your WFH hours. Choose one or two days a week maximum that you are willing to work overtime. This not only allows you to make time for new friendships and possible long-term relationships.
3. Choose one or two dating platforms or services and professional networking and spend some time attending events.